Head Hunters Camp
The Head Hunters Camp (known before the War as Fort Nepean ) is the sole remaining outpost of the Head Hunters raider group after the fall of Fort Queenscliff in 2280. Unlike its brother across the water, Fort Nepean has suffered from nuclear strikes and centuries of occupation by monsters. In 2287, the Head Hunters Camp is held in part by the raiders and in part by Mirelurks. History The Head Hunters Camp is the modern name for Fort Nepean, a Pre-War military fortification instrumental to the defence of the Melbourne CBD from foreign enemies. Originally built in the 1860s and 70s under the Victorian Colonial Government, it has seen dozens of iterations and transformations. Colonial History Fort Nepean was first created in the 1860s, following an investigation from British Artillery Officers into the defence of Victoria. Finding the defence lacking (as they were all but non-existent), the Colonial Administration began to channel funding into the development of defences. Fort Nepean first manifestation was simply a cleared, grassy area of bushland in which numerous naval guns were mounted. However, with time, this position developed into a significantly more sturdy structure. Concrete and steel bunkers, deep firing pits, telegraph and telephone lines all helped to improve the combat effectiveness of the of the position. On observer even described the defences here as "Victoria's Gibraltar." The War and Decay During the Great War, Fort Nepean was one of the primary locations targeted by Chinese submarines (the others being the Melbourne CBD and the American Military Base in the Bass Strait). One large missile landed on the lower shore, blasting the guns and bunkhouses to bits. The strike collapsed almost all the entrances to the tunnels, trapping the soldiers stationed inside to a slow, painful death via suffocation and radiation. For the rest of the facility, the war was slightly more merciful. Personnel manning the guns were blinked out of existence by the nuclear blast. Those atop the hill were protected from the direct blast. While they suffered from the fallout of the explosion, they were granted the chance to escape from Fort Nepean. With the War wiping out or routing the previous inhabitants of Fort Nepean, the facility itself was left to rot. The high radiation exposure turned initial Post-War scavengers off, however, it did attract numerous mutants and other dangerous animals, primarily Mirelurks and Fog Crawlers. Further away from the blast site, various critters set up shop amongst the abandoned buildings: radroaches, Bloodbugs, and even the occasional Dingo. The ruins of Fort Nepean crumbled into the Bass Strait through time, water and wind. The coastal guns not turned into scrap metal during the Great War quickly rusted without maintenance. By 2100, the powerful gun batteries of Fort Nepean were wiped out, rusted away and buried under Mirelurk eggs and clutches. Enter the Head Hunters... For over two centuries, Fort Nepean was left to crumble into the Bass Strait. Wind, rain and critters took their toll on the concrete bunkers and long naval guns. However, the Fort kept its Pre-War reputation as a position of naval power. Some Chinese and German Fisher Families even developed legends about the Fort. However, the area managed to stay free of human habitation until 2277, when the Head Hunters raider gang, with support from Victorian Railways, established an artillery battery in the upper areas of the Fort. Construction took much of 2277, ultimately being completed in the hot summer days of November. Ironically, the makeshift gun battery was a close resemblance of the original Fort Nepean; tents were perched, stacks of artillery shells hidden in wood-and-tin sheds and powerful guns protected solely by fabric canopies. However, these similarities quickly fell apart. While the original Fort Nepean developed into a highly fortified military installation, the raider encampment turned into little more than a refugee camp with a few cannons. The loss of Fort Queenscliff to the Williamstown Defence Force in 2280 significantly changed the tides for the Head Hunters and, by extension, Fort Nepean. With the bulk of their forces, their primary base and their Boss killed, the Head Hunters were in dire straits - both literally and metaphorically. Long Spitz took command of the remaining raiders at Fort Queenscliff and took them across the Bass Strait to Fort Nepean. This was to be their refuge while Spitz figured out what to do about the WDF at Queenie. ...and Never Leave Despite Spitz promises, the overwhelming resources of the WDF and the weakened nature of the Head Hunters prevented any counter-attack. Instead, the raiders turned the temporary artillery camp at Fort Nepean into their home: the Head Hunters Camp. With the loss of Queenie, the raiders quickly established themselves. Tents, canopies, shacks and bodies were all brought into the settlement. Fire pits burnt at the centre, cooking dingo and roo for the cutthroat raiders. Raids were organised and sent out into the world, much to the dismay of nearby farmers and villagers. The guns at Fort Nepean were significantly less powerful than those at Fort Queenscliff, yet still dangerous enough to take down the occasional merchant ship or fishing boat. By 2287, the Head Hunters Camp had developed into little more than another small raider encampment, common to the lawless portions of the Australian wastelands. Layout Fort Nepean is divided into two primary areas: the Head Hunters Camp and the Fort Ruins. Both of these locations occupy the former grounds of Fort Nepean on the tip of the southern peninsula, just south of Williamstown, Victoria. Head Hunters Camp The Head Hunters Camp is a ramshackle tent city on the high ground overlooking the Bass Strait. Before the War, the administrative buildings of the fort lay here, from which the officers stationed at Fort Nepean overviewed the guns. Since it's occupation by the Head Hunters, this area has been redeveloped into a survivor camp. Tent City The Tent City is the primary human habitation within Fort Nepean. Since their exodus from Fort Queenscliff in 2280, the Head Hunters have turned the upper hills of the area into a fortified encampment, complete with makeshift fortifications and raider paraphernalia. Within the various shacks and tents here, one can find raider stashes, merchants and other characters of interest. Fort Ruins The Fort Ruins are, as the name suggests, the ruined, irradiated remains of the Fort Nepean gun batteries. Targeted by Chinese subs during the Great War, the guns of Fort Nepean were devasted by nuclear missiles. In the modern day, they are a catacomb of collapsed tunnels, buried bunkers and waterlogged blockhouses. Coastal Guns The Coastal Guns of Fort Nepean were once the primary source of protection around the Melbourne CBD. Since the Great War, the twisted, irradiated ammo dumps and gun pits protect only dangerous Mirelurks and their unlucky prey. In the modern day, these areas are primarily untouched by human hands, occupied solely by aquatic critters and the occasional Fisher hunter. Ruined Tunnels The Ruined Tunnels of Fort Nepean are one of the most treacherous areas of the ruined lower half of the fort. During the war, the storerooms, command centres and bunkhouses that supported the guns themselves were shattered by the nukes. Combining this with centuries of erosion and no maintenance have created a labyrinth of damaged tunnels, rubble-filled rooms, and, most importantly, untouched military loot. Scavengers often pry at the gats of the Ruined Tunnels in an attempt to find Rockwell guns or Combat Armour. Organisation The Head Hunters Camp is organised in a manner similar to any raider gang. At the top of the pyramid is the gang's boss, Long Spitz, who is the primary military, civilian and diplomatic leader of the Head Hunters. Underneath him are various lieutenants (significantly less since the loss of Fort Queenscliff in 2280) who command raiding parties, supervise scavenge teams and otherwise provide leadership when the Boss is not present. Economy The Head Hunters Camp has an economy like any other raider settlement. Loot gathered in raids is divided between those who left camp based on their success on the raid and their standing in the gang. At the camp, this loot is hoarded or traded for others' loot, with some enterprising raiders stockpiling, bargaining and selling their goods to others in the gang. Relations See Head Hunters for more information As the primary location of the Head Hunters gang, the Head Hunters Camp has the same relations as the gang. The raiders continue to use the Head Hunters Camp as their primary base in the Bass Strait. Common prey are weaker Fisher Families, independent merchant vessels and the occasional fisherman. Due to this raider nature and the relatively calm nature of the Bass Strait region, the Head Hunters have few friends in the world. Technology Fort Nepean, while similar in nature to Fort Queenscliff, is significantly less advanced in 2287. Before the war, Nepean had the more powerful guns of out the two forts in the Bass Strait. However, this earned it the ire of the Chinese during the war. As such, the powerful 24-inch guns which lined the coast are now little more than Mirelurk nests. Under the Head Hunters gang, the fort has had some life developed into it (primarily a number of scratch-built tank guns) however it remains primarily a ruined place. Category:Victoria Category:Raiders Category:Places